ANC can no longer fail SA – Ramaphosa

On a day that marked the laying of wreaths at the grave of ANC founding secretary-general Sol Plaatje, cutting of a cake and popping champagne, President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday vowed that the governing party could “no longer fail the people”.

Ramaphosa is criss-crossing the Northern Cape ahead of the delivery of the January 8 Statement in Kimberley on Saturday.

The statement will mark a climax in the ANC’s celebration of its 108th anniversary, with impoverished communities in the Northern Cape expecting the speech to reflect on unemployment, drug abuse and land redistribution.

Challenging divisions in the party, Ramaphosa also told a packed Mayibuye Hall in Galeshewe that for the ANC to retain its public status as “leader of society”, it had to rid itself of factionalism and corruption – values Plaatje and ANC founders stood for.

“The door-to-door visits to communities here have not been about mobilisation for the Saturday rally, but time to talk and listen to our people – understanding their concerns,” said Ramaphosa. “They have been raising concerns about simple and straightforward matters.

“Unemployment here has reached unbearable proportions. The state of roads and lack of proper sanitation are also among issues. These have to be done because we can no longer fail our people – it is not what Plaatje wanted.”

Endowed with diamond, manganese, chrome and agriculture, Ramaphosa said the Northern Cape was “a sunrise province with a lot of potential”.

“It is about time that beneficiation of mineral resources like manganese and chrome takes place here so that we can export finished products and attract investors,” said Ramaphosa.

Also speaking at the same event, ANC provincial chair and Premier Dr Zamani Saul said: “We cannot be comfortable with such high levels of unemployment and poverty. We need to intensify radical economic transformation, especially when it comes to expropriation of land.”

He said Northern Cape’s 93% black African and coloured population owned “a mere 13% of the land, while whites owned 85% and the state owned two percent”.

“This vast socio-economic inequality has to be addressed. But as a divided movement, we cannot achieve that.”

– brians@citizen.co.za

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